Confidence Games
by Splintered Star
Summary: Agnès hated doing this, but it was the only way to survive. At least, that was what Airy always said, right? (Partners in Crime AU, Agnès/Edea/Ringabel/Tiz)


Agnes fists her hands in her plain skirt as she and Tiz walk down the snowy street. This job never gets any easier, but it has to be better than the alternative, that's what Airy always says…

Tiz wraps a warm arm around hers, smiling in encouragement. She gives him a watery smile back, briefly distracted from their task, before she hears Airy's voice in her head hissing about not paying attention when on a job.

She swallows down the guilt and glances around. There's a woman watching them – but she's pushing a baby stroller, so Agnes discounts her. They very thought makes her stomach clench. A teenager with ripped jeans and shopping bags is similarly ignored. A young woman with long blond hair and skimpy clothing winks at her, but Agnes can't risk the job by winking back.

Tiz squeezes her arm and she glances his direction. She follows his gaze to the man watching them from the other side of the street. Clean shoes, well-pressed suit, sympathetic eyes. She squeezes back in agreement. Him.

Agnes and Tiz slowly shuffle across the street to the bus stop. A young man with a hood over his face leans against it, ignoring them. Headphone cords trail from his hood down to his pants pocket. Agnes barely needs to pretend at nerves, staring at street signs and buildings desperately as if divining for answers. Tiz pats her arm, glancing around protectively. As soon as they're close to the bus stop, he starts talking.

"Honey, it'll be fine, let's just try and find the hotel…"

Agnes lets out a shuddering breath. "This is all my fault," she sobs, and it isn't even a lie, "I so sorry, I can't believe I got us lost…"

"I'm sorry, young lady," the man interjects, concern evident in his grey eyes. Up close Agnes can smell expensive cologne, and cigar smoke. "But are you all right?"

Tiz's arm tightens around her shoulder. "We're fine, we just…"

"Oh, sir, I'm sorry," Agnes interrupts, tears pricking at her eyes. She wipes her face with the edge of her coat. "I just – I thought I knew where we were, but I must have gotten us turned around at some point, and now I have no idea-"

Tiz tugs her close and kisses her cheek. "Honey, it's okay, it's not your fault," He glances up over her shoulder at the man. "Really sorry sir, we just need to find our hotel again." He smiles apologetically. "The city's a lot bigger than I thought it would be!"

The man smiles kindly, patting Tiz on the shoulder. There are streaks of grey in his neat beard and gold rings on his hand, and his smile highlights the lines on his face. "Don't worry about it, young man. This can be a complicated place to the newcomer. Now, which hotel are you staying at?"

Agnes sniffs, "Oh, we couldn't be a bother," The man waves her off. The young man at the bus stop pushes off from the side of the shelter and starts walking towards them. She finally says, "…it's the Frosti Inn. By the…cathedral, I think?" She glances at Tiz, who nods in confirmation.

"Ah, yes, I know where you mean. To get back there…" As the man gives directions, the young man in the hood casually walks behind him and bumps into him. The man turns to glare. "Excuse me!"

The young man looks up, pulling an earbud out with one hand. There's enough of his face visible under the hood to see a familiar rakish grin. His other hand is tucked in his hood's pockets. He tosses an easy, "Sorry, grandpa!" before turning and walking away, deceptively quick.

The man huffs and turns back to Tiz and Agnes. "….and be careful, the young people we get around here aren't as polite as you two."

Agnes smiles weakly, hiding her face in Tiz's shoulder. This bit is always the hardest. "Thank you so much, sir."

Tiz pats her back and nods in agreement. "Thank you – and you said /right/ at the statue of the crystal?"

The man nods, and then pats them both on the shoulder kindly. Agnes can't meet his eyes. He passes them by, and they keep up the act until they turn the corner out of his sight. Then they duck into an alley, and then a concealed side door.

The young man is already there, shrugging out of his hoodie. The earbuds hang from the collar, not attached to anything. His white hair sticks up no matter what any of them do. He looks up with a wide smile.

"Darlings!" Ringabel grabs Agnes and kisses her on the lips. "Excellent work." He repeats the gesture with Tiz. Then he holds up the man's wallet proudly. It's thick, and real leather. "Good pick on the target."

"Tiz picked him," Agnes says, bashfully. Tiz rubs the hair at the back of his head. "I just cried on him."

"A very important skill in such a job." Ringabel says with a wink, opening the wallet. There are bills, but Ringabel shoves most of them in a pocket before she can see the amount. What is he – "Any sign of Edea?"

Agnes shakes her head. "We saw her before the job, but not since." She wants to ask about the money, but instead asks, "Airy should be here in ten, correct?" Ringabel nods, glancing at the door way. Agnes swallows awkwardly, not sure what to say.

A few moments later, the side door opens again. The young woman with long blond hair comes in. Her clothes are a bit dirty, one strap of her tank top pushed down her shoulder. Her skin is prickled with goose bumps. "Urg, handsy bastards." She rolls her eyes, kicking snow off her high boots. "I can get at their money easy, it's getting /rid/ of them that's a pain."

Tiz frowns at the dirt on Edea's shorts. "Did you have any trouble?" Agnes scans Edea's exposed skin for bruises, but Edea doesn't bruise easily, and they might be covered. Ringabel clearly thinks the same, at her side in a flash to gently poke at her stomach.

Edea pushes his hands away, smirking. "I'm fine! But you can buy me hot chocolate if you like~"

Ringabel grins back and kneels to kiss her hand. "Certainly, my queen." She laughs and shoves a couple of wallets at him. They're not as thick as the one Ringabel picked up, and he flips through them before pulling a bill or two from each.

Agnes glances at the others, uncomfortable. Airy always counts the money herself. What are they doing? The others don't look surprised….

Edea catches her eyes and then comes over to wrap an arm around her. She says, "Hey, don't worry about it, okay?" She kisses Agnes softy, much gentler than she ever is with the others. Her lips are still cool, but warm quickly against Agnes'. Agnes nods stiffly.

No time to ask more – the side door bangs open and Airy walks in like she's floating. She's tiny, much shorter than the others, with long pale hair that she somehow manages to keep neat. She's wearing a new dress, Agnes notices, and then bites the inside of her lip.

Airy smiles, her arms crossed behind her. "How'd it go, everyone?"

Ringabel offers the stack of wallets. "See for yourself. Several credit cards, so we can strip the info off of them tonight."

Airy eagerly flips through the rich man's wallet, then pauses suspiciously. "Not a lot of cash." She holds up what looks like 200pg.

Ringabel blinks, doing very well at acting surprised. "Huh." Then he shrugs. "The rich ones don't carry as much cash, I guess." Agnes blinks at him, because what is he /doing/ -

Edea tightens her grip on Agnes' hand, and Agnes' objections die in her throat. There's a look in Ringabel's eyes, that quick, knife-edge look that only shows when he's working a con. Airy never goes on jobs like that, so she doesn't recognize it, but Agnes has played the straight role to Ringabel's dodgy conman and she /does/.

What are they /doing/? Airy found them when they were starving, taught them how to survive! She takes care of them! They owe her /everything/, why are they -

Edea rubs the back of her hand, her grip tight, until the moment passes. Airy eventually shrugs, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Fair enough. Meet me back at the house in two hours, and remember to change your clothes!" She gathers all of the wallets into her purse and smiles at them before flouncing back into the street. As soon as the door falls shut, Agnes pulls her hand free and whirls on Ringabel.

"What are you /doing/?" She hisses, panic clogging her throat. "How could you – why would you –"

Ringabel looks like he wants to try flirting, but then his conman grin drops. He crosses his arms instead, glances at Edea and Tiz, and opens his mouth.

Edea speaks first. "Airy's cheating us," She growls, gesturing around the group in emphasis, "Ringabel looked at the numbers." Agnes feels the world opening up beneath her, her pulse pounding like she's working a job or her home burning or–

Suddenly they are all touching her, an arm around her shoulders or a face nuzzled in her hair. Edea is a lukewarm wall at her back. She swallows, the sound echoing, and she closes her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Her voice is barely above a whisper. They wouldn't joke, not like this… But if it were true then –

Ringabel nods into her shoulder. "I've kept track. There's at least 25% she's not telling us about." He snorts softly. "I bet at least some of it went to that designer bag." Edea nods into Agnes's hair.

Agnes breathes very carefully. In, hold, out. In, hold, out. Finally, she whispers, "…and so you are keeping money from her." She swallows. "You know what she would do if she found out."

Airy – pretty little Airy, who found her when she was lost after the fire and helped her when she was starving, who taught her diversion and slight-of-hand – can be /vicious/. Agnes trusts her, but there is a part of her that also fears.

Tiz nods into her neck. He's wrapped around her front, his arms squished between Agnes and Edea. "Yeah, but it's worth it." He looks up, and his face is as earnest as she's ever seen. "If we save up enough and get Airy off of our tail, we can go straight. We won't have to /do/ this anymore!"

-at that, more than anything else, Agnes sobs. All the guilt she's swallowed for a hundred jobs, all the shame – the kind eyes of the man by the bus stop – it spills out of her at once. She's never wanted to do this, never wanted steal or trick or lie. The dream of stopping is almost too much to stand. Her friends, her lovers hold her through it, until she's able to speak again.

"…I do not know if I can help you." She is too weak, too afraid, but – "But I won't stop you, and I won't tell Airy." She opens her eyes and smiles weakly at her dear partners, more precious to her than anything. They all nod, smiling. Tiz squeezes her comfortingly.

Ringabel kisses her cheek and then grins. He pulls back long enough to pull some of the twice-stolen money out of his pocket. "Now, I believe hot chocolate is on me?"


End file.
